By Emmanuel Gamson
Kumasi, Jan. 26, GNA – Professor Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie, the President of the Association for Suicide Prevention Ghana (GASP), has urged media practitioners to ensure responsible and ethical reporting on matters of suicide to help in preventing it.
He said the media had crucial roles to play in suicide prevention, and that practitioners’ reportage on such issues must conform to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended guidelines on suicide reporting.
He said this when the GASP, in collaboration with the WHO Ghana Office and the University of Ghana Department of Psychology, organised a day’s workshop for journalists to build their capacities on responsible reporting on suicide and related issues.
The event, held in Kumasi, for participants drawn from the Western, Western North, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions, formed part of the WHO’s LIVE LIFE for Suicide Prevention in Ghana – Responsible Media Reporting of Suicide Project.
It sought to deepen journalists’ understanding on the application of the Ghana Guidelines for Media Reporting of Suicide, and the Ghana Suicide Reporting Scorecard for Appropriate Media Reporting of Self-harm and Suicide.
Prof. Quarshie said: “Over the years, we have seen that news stories particularly related to suicide have not been too good in terms of how they conform to the recommended standards.”
He said the workshop was, therefore, part of strategies to bring media practitioners together and raise awareness on some of those issues and help them to improve upon the quality of news they produced about suicide.
He implored journalists to avoid using sensational headlines in reporting suicide cases, and be circumspect in dealing with affected individuals, families, and loved ones.
Dr Johnny Andoh-Arthur, Secretary to the GASP, asked media practitioners to ensure their reports contributed to prevention rather than encouraging suicide among vulnerable individuals.
He said the media had the power to influence public perception, noting that irresponsible reportage on suicide could encourage vulnerable individuals to imitate the details and methods used in the act.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Benjamin Mensah